Any of you all still prefer working on the old MPCs? I personally do. Love the 2000xl for its feel and its easy workflow. You can get the 8 out expansion or fx board so you can get FX on the sound.
Something about the more limited machines works for me. I sample everything into it so no giant library of sounds to wade through. Just pick what you need and get to work.
Nothing like them anymore. Closest is the sp16 but it doesn’t have the feel of the old mpc sequencers.
I wish I still had mine, tbh. I used to have a 2000XL, then a JJ-infused 1000 for a long time. They are both so much simpler than the current lineup of MPCs. I miss that aspect of them. All of the options in the One / Live often just overwhelm and distract me.
Said it many times, but while the new MPCs are superior on paper, they don’t inspire me to make music like the older ones. The JJOS-infused 1000 and 2500 are stone-cold classics. Not used the older ones but no doubt they’re amazing, part of me wants to grab a 2000XL but not sure if I’d use it now that I have Live running on a laptop as smooth as butter. Still, hardware is hard to beat.
Yeah I have Ableton on my M1 laptop too but I barely use it except for arranging and making sounds to sample into the 2000XL. It’s just a tried and true machine.
I keep hoping elektron can update the Rytm to give it better swing options and sample slicing, because then it would be kind of a modern 2000XL, but I am losing faith there.
The MPC-5000 hits the mark for what I want/need from a MPC. I absolutely hate the touch-screen workflow and busy GUI of my MPC Live II.
I owned a MPC 2000XL years ago, and liked it a lot.
I bought an MPC Live II about a year ago, in order to try out the MPC workflow and use it as a combined sampler / midi sequencer.
In a DAWless setup I felt I introduced a DAW again, and couldn’t figure out how to gel with it.
A few months ago I picked up an old used MPC 1000, and I couldn’t be happier.
It’s a super quirky machine, and had to replace some switches, etc. but to me it feels like what I always wanted the Digitakt to be.
In a nostalgic kind of way I still wish I had my 2000xl. My friend had one I’d borrow from time to time to relive the experience.
Yet, compared to today’s instruments, it’s a pain in the ass to use and the character of the sound and swing are easily replicated with more modern features.
I do miss the step sequencer of the 2000xl. And I think the box is a beautiful piece of physical hardware. But workflow wise, it’s dated and unnecessarily difficult to work with compared to the more modern boxes.
…my 2000, including single outs and fx board, is one of those tools, i have no idea where it might be these days…got lost along the way…hmmmpf and shame on me…did everything with it during the 90ies…
but i also jumped the mpc train with that 2nd gen ones running jjos…sold the 2500 last year…
but my totally black full on custumized 1000 jjos stays with me forever…
not really in use these days, but it’s a beauty…moogish knobs for volume and rec gain input…black pads and that dark screen with blueish/purple pixels, black buttons for all controls and even wooden side panels…
I can’t get the swing to feel the same in my sp16 or elektons honestly. I’ve tried multiple times.
…yup…that classic swing feel how linn had it implemented in the mpc’s at first, is still unique and only to be found these days in abletons groove pool, at least somehow…dunno why all other hw swing options, no matter what brand, never really matched that in total…
but swedish swing works for me…
my very last dream setup in hardware will be a mpc 3000, the last real linn machine, and an A4mk2 in black, of course…but no idea, if i ever will make enough money with music again to afford such plain soulfood luxury…
Definitely classic machines, with a very distinctive feel.
Throughout the years I’ve owned a few MPC2000 and 2000XL, MPC1000, MPC500 and MPC4000 (definitely my favorite one, I got it for free from Akai for helping with the Z4/Z8 sample library).
In 2004 I found a pretty unique workaround for implementing X0X Roland style sequencing on any MPC.
The “how to” article is still up on my old website : Roland X0X Step Sequencing on the Akai MPC4000
One big plus of the older machines is: essentially no latency.
In the case of 3k and 4k: also exceptionally tight timing no matter if as master or synced.
I owned a 1k and a 5K, then switched to the modern ones.
One the modern ones I have 2 workflows based on what I need to do: the old school approach is for finger drumming. I only chop and sequence, no use of the current effects or touchscreen. It’s gorgeous.
Then there’s the other workflow, which I won’t discuss here.
To be honest, if the Mpc1k had a battery I would definitely get another one, just for chopping, loading samples and performing.
You can still strip the current ones to basics, but it takes discipline.
Yes that is a huge thing. The new MPCs have terrible timing in comparison, even if slaved to a sync clock. Akai doesn’t care about quality hardware anymore, they have shown that. They are selling software now and packaging it in a cheaply made machine.
The MPC4000 has the best timing of any machine I have used.
I sold a mint blue 1000 (JJOS) for £500 a few years ago. Definitely sellers remorse looking back.
I have a battery powered MPC One which I love but other samplers too (M8, Octatrack MK1, Smpltrek) and used all the new standalone boxes.
And let me tell you this:
My MPC 1000, with JJOS full and a USBC battery mod trumps them all. The things you can do with it sampling wise and sound design wise still blow me away. I mean you can poly aftertouch the filter cutoff. How cool is that?
I still love it and I have a mint one which I won’t sell. I sold my first one and felt really bad about it. This one will be in my will
In the Machinedrum early days I remember doing some quarter note timing testing/comparison between the MD and an MPC200xl. The MD suffered from slight timing fluctuations. The MPC timing was rock solid (almost to the sample!).
2kxl is definately a favourite of the bunch for me : over 60, 1000, 2500.
Deep House swing - definately a real thing.
Love the filter bump. The start to velocity.
Records cc or plocks from the md.
Also - midi feedback loop, xl in to out and use the xl midi sequencer to sequence an xl tracks
Creatives generative sequences, offsets timing
And crashes the ram into a ram glitch shred - all samples play back randomly and with ghostly degradation
I really want to try an mpc 500 as the os I hear is similar to the 2kxl
Anyway using an mpc 500?
Start to velocity - is this the thing where you use 16 levels set to velocity and use it to mod the sample start somehow? I have heard about this but have not tried it.
Yep that’s it, velocity to start .
Like a loop start mod.
Ensoniq samplers do it a bit better.
But the xl pads are expressive and fun - velocity filter, pitch mod, sample start mod…
prefuse 73s old trackd provide nice examples of what you can get out of it
Also, note repeat gives off shity granular material with velocity to start and short sample times.